


When you're high, I'll take the lows

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Clueless Tony Stark, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Tony has a new girlfriend and he wants Peter to meet her. She immediately gives Peter bad vibes but he can't figure out why. Until he does.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 207
Kudos: 803





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this for literally EVER and it's finally done! This is from a prompt that wordscorrupt let me use (thank you, darling!). 
> 
> MIND THE TAGS PLEASE
> 
> Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy!

Peter rubs his sweaty palms against his jeans, hopefully drying them off. He’s about to meet Tony’s, his mentor, girlfriend for the first time. Peter’s been hearing about Valerie for a few weeks now and from what Peter can tell Tony is completely enamored with her; Tony can hardly go one day without singing her praises. After almost two months of dating, Tony decided that he wanted Peter to meet her. 

Peter does not want to meet her. 

At all. 

He’s sure she’s lovely and that she’s great with Tony, but Peter doesn’t know how he feels about meeting someone his quasi father figure is relatively serious with, it’s just...weird. But Tony promised him that it would only be a quick meeting, some small talk and such and then Tony and Peter would head down to the lab to work. Peter takes a deep breath. He can do this. It’s going to be fine. 

The elevator dings and the doors slide open to the penthouse. 

Peter can already hear Tony’s deep voice and a woman’s light laughter. He takes a deep breath and turns the corner into the kitchen. Tony and Valerie are seated at the kitchen island with their backs to Peter. Valerie’s shiny brown hair is styled perfectly in waves and the way she dresses reminds Peter of the main character in those Hallmark movies May is fond of: solid colors, a tightly fitted dress, perfectly matching shoes and makeup. 

“Hi,” Peter calls to get their attention. Both adults turn around, Tony’s expression transforming into one of delight while Valerie’s becomes one of surprise. Maybe Tony hadn’t told her he was coming. Something in the back of his mind starts humming that something is wrong, his spider-sense. Peter shakes it off, it’s probably just his nerves. He’s not in any danger here. 

“You’re here already?” Tony checks his watch and then looks at Valerie, “I guess we lost track of time.” Valerie laughs flirtatiously and Peter smiles goodnaturedly and walks towards them. “How was school, kid?” Tony asks, leaning back in his chair. 

Peter shrugs, “Same old same old.”

“You go to Midtown, right?” Valerie asks, her fingers dance along the stem of her wine glass. Peter nods. Valerie smiles, “I have a niece that goes there, she’s a freshman, and from what I’ve heard she just loves it.” 

“Yeah,” Peter agrees, “it’s a great school.” He sticks out his hand to shake her’s, “I’m Peter, by the way.” 

Valerie smiles and there is just something off about it, but Peter can’t put his finger on it, “I know, sweetie.” Peter does not like that: it’s May’s nickname for him. From May it‘s a maternal nickname, but from Valerie, it’s almost patronizing. “Tony has told me a lot about you. I’m glad to finally put a face to the name.” 

“Same here,” Peter says. He rocks back and forth on his heels. “Uh, what do you do?”

“I work in a law firm in Manhattan,” Valerie sighs, “it’s not as exciting as it looks on tv. Nor is it half as exciting as what Tony does.”

“I’m sure.” Peter doesn’t really know what to say to that.

“How old are you, Peter?” Valerie leans forward like she really is interested. 

“I’m sixteen.”

Her eyes widen, “And you’re still in high school? I’m pretty sure Tony graduated from college by your age!”

Peter presses his lips together and smiles, “I guess I’m just no Tony Stark,” he laughs, hoping it doesn’t sound as forced as it feels. 

“You certainly are not,” Valerie laughs too, taking a sip of her wine. 

Peter looks to Tony who is watching the exchange with a pleased smile. Did he not hear what she just said? Peter shakes it off, he probably took it the wrong way, Valerie is probably nervous and she just said it without thinking.

“Well,” Tony turns to Valerie, “the kid and I got to get to work, but I’ll see you later tonight?” 

Valerie smiles flirtatiously, “Of course.” She grabs on to the back of Tony’s neck and pulls him down for a long kiss. Peter looks away awkwardly. When they pull apart Tony looks a little dazed, but Valerie just leans back and takes a sip of her white wine. “I’ll see you later.” 

As they leave Valerie, Tony slings an arm around Peter’s shoulder happily. “What do you think?” Tony asks as he presses the button for the lab.

“She’s nice,” Peter shrugs. And it’s sort of true, she doesn’t seem mean or evil, but Peter can’t help feeling like something was off about her. “You two seem happy together.”

Tony smiles, “We really are.” The elevator doors slide open and the pair walks into the lab. “So what were you thinking today? We can do just about anything.”

Peter grins, all thoughts and worries about Valerie falling away as he jumps back into work with Tony. Just as usual they work seamlessly together, Tony answering all of Peter’s questions, explaining them carefully. They work on a new formula for Peter’s webs, though it’s usually more Bruce’s specialty than Tony’s, the man does his best to help Peter. 

“So kid,” Tony says as Peter packs up his stuff for the night, “on Friday I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with Valerie and me? It’s not going to be a big thing, just casual, I’ll be cooking.” 

Peter gulps, “Okay.” 

“I can already see you stressing, kid,” Tony laughs. “It’s not a big deal, I promise.” Tony squeezes Peter’s shoulder. “I’ll see you on Friday.” 

So Friday comes, and, despite his mentor’s words, Peter is freaking out. This is a big deal. He’s having dinner with Valerie. What if she asks him an embarrassing question? What if she figures out that he’s Spiderman? Peter closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. It’s going to be fine, Tony said it would. 

When he walks into the kitchen, the delicious smell of Tony’s famous carbonara wafts through the air. Valerie is seated at the edge of the counter and despite Tony telling him that it’s a casual dinner, her hair is done perfectly, she’s wearing tall black heels, and her nails look newly manicured into sharp points. Once again she is drinking a glass of white wine, a perfect lipstick stain on the outside of the glass. Tony is stirring a pot on the stove, looking over his shoulder to talk to his girlfriend. 

Valerie sees Peter first, “Hi, Peter!” She greets kindly. “Come on in, we’re just about to eat.” 

Peter gives her a small smile and does as she says. Tony gives him a quick side hug and presses a plate into his hands. May always told him that guests are always supposed to serve themselves first, but Tony either doesn’t know or doesn’t care because he pushes Peter in front of him, and gestures for him to start filling his plate. 

Peter takes two large scoops of pasta, heaping them onto his plate and doing the same with the sauce. 

“Save some for the rest of us,” Valerie laughs. Peter knows it’s a joke but her voice is just a little too sharp for it to be taken at face value. Peter ducks his head sheepishly, blush covering his cheeks. He knows he eats a lot, but he can’t help it, his metabolism is too fast for him to eat normal portions anymore. But her words hurt. 

“I always make some extra for him,” Tony explains, “he’s a growing boy after all.” 

Once the three of them are sat down for dinner, Peter across from the two lovers, he stirs his sauce in with his pasta and begins to eat. After a few seconds of silence, Peter asks the two, “How did you guys meet?” 

Both of them immediately smile, though Tony’s reaches his eyes. “I was at a tech conference on Long Island,” Tony begins. “And you know how there are always those lawyers in the press rooms to stop the panel from saying something stupid?” Peter nods along with a laugh. “So she was one of them and the entire conference I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. After the conference, I asked her for her phone number and I guess the rest is history.” Valarie smiles.

“What’s your family like, Peter?” Valerie asks, sipping her water. 

Peter fidgets with his sleeve, he doesn’t really like talking about it with strangers, but if Tony trusts Valerie then there is no reason he shouldn't, right? “My parents died when I was really young,” he tells her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Valerie frowns just a little too deep for Peter to believe it’s genuine. 

“It’s okay,” Peter shrugs, “I don’t really remember them. But now I live with my aunt in Queens and we’re happy.” He decides not to tell her about Uncle Ben. Some things are just too private. 

“What does your aunt do?” 

“She’s a nurse at a hospital,” Peter nods. “She works a lot but the pay is nice. Sometimes when she works a lot I stay here for a few days.” 

Valerie looks over at Tony, “That’s very generous.” 

Tony shrugs, “He’s a good kid, I like to do what I can to help May. Plus it’s nice not to work alone in the lab.” 

After an excruciating amount of small talk, Tony checks his watch, “Well we still have a bit before Pete has to go home so what do you say I pop a movie on until Happy gets here?” 

“That sounds lovely,” Valerie says with a smile. “Peter and I can clean up dinner while you do that.” 

Peter nods in agreement, despite his growing sense of dread. He doesn’t really want to spend any time alone with Valerie. He likes having Tony there, not that he thinks Valerie is dangerous, but if he gets too anxious then he knows Tony will step in and help him. If he’s alone with Valerie, he won’t have that support.

Valerie and Peter pile the dishes in the sink. Once the water is turned on, loud enough to drown out the noise from the tv, Valerie starts washing the dishes, passing them to Peter to rinse and dry. “You know,” Valerie says, her voice deep and hushed, “in the first few months of relationships it’s the most pivotal time to spend one on one time with your partner. It helps to set a nice foundation to build, right?” Peter hums in agreement, not quite sure where this is going. “And with how busy I’ve been with work and how busy Tony has been with you, we haven’t gotten much of that time.” 

Peter frowns, but doesn’t look up at her, instead focusing on his task, “Okay?” 

“Let me dumb this down for you since you are clearly too stupid to understand what I am saying to you,” Valerie bites, her voice still low. Peter’s spider-sense buzzes in the back of his mind, this isn’t right. “Tony and I don’t want you here because it’s hard for us to get to know each other when you provide such a distraction to him.” 

“What?” Peter asks, looking up at her with wide eyes. She can’t mean that. Tony loves him. “What are you talking about?” 

Valerie’s face twists into a frown of mock pity, “Still need it dumber?” She places her hand on his bare arm. Peter just stares at her, heart picking up speed in his chest. “After we finish cleaning you are going to tell Tony that you are going to take a taxi home instead and leave, got it?” He feels a sharp pain in his arm and Peter looks down at where her nails, newly sharp from her manicure, are digging into his arm. When he doesn’t respond, Valerie says, “If you really loved Tony you would do this for him. Don’t you want him to be happy?” Peter winces at the pain.

“Yes,” Peter hisses out. He wants Tony to be happy, of course he does. 

“Then don’t stay,” Valerie clenches her fist, curling her nails even deeper into his skin, Peter bites his lip to keep from making a sound. “Do you hear me?” 

“Yes,” Peter says again. 

She smiles, “Then we have an understanding.” She releases Peter’s arm and goes back to the dishes. Peter looks down at his arm where his arm is bleeding from four perfect crescents.

“You know,” Valerie says conversationally, “I always keep a pocket knife on me. My father gave it to me when I first started dating and he told me that if any boy ever gave me trouble all I had to to was slit his wrist and he would bleed out in minutes.” Peter can’t breathe. “It would be a shame if you messed up my relationship with Tony. I would hate to have to hurt him over this...but he won’t find out, will he?” She’s threatening Tony, oh God. Peter feels like he’s choking on air. 

“He won’t find out,” Peter manages to say. His heart is racing in his chest, his spider-sense is burning, screaming at him to run and get out of the situation. But he can’t his feet are planted right where he is. 

Peter says nothing while they finish dishes. His spider-sense thrums and his heart won’t slow down. Peter pulls the sleeve of his sweatshirt back down over his arm, hiding the bleeding. Once they’re done with the dishes, Valerie walks briskly past him and sits down next to Tony, cuddling up to his side. 

“Tony?” Peter gets the man’s attention. “I think I’m going to head home.” 

Tony frowns, “Is everything alright, kid? You look a little pale.” 

Peter nods quickly, “Yeah, but, um, May just texted me that she’s going to be home early so I’m going to take a taxi.” 

“Do you want me to call Happy?” 

Peter shakes his head, “It’s okay.”

He smiles at Peter, “Well then don’t let me stop you, tell her I say hello.” Peter nods and quickly exits the room, feeling Valaire’s eyes on his back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I am absolutely AMAZED at the number of people who like this fic! Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who commented, left kudos, and shared this fic. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Peter wakes up the next morning feeling awful, his head is still full of Valerie’s words, the way she threatened Tony and said those awful things to him. As much as he wants it to be a dream, it's not. When he sits up, the first thing he does is roll up his sleeve, thankfully the marks from Valerie’s nails disappeared. He checks his phone next, finding a text from May that she picked up an extra shift today and tomorrow and that Happy will take him to the Tower for the weekend. 

He groans, almost certain that Valerie will be there. Half tempted to tell Happy that he’d rather stay home alone, he reaches form his phone. But he knows that it will only worry both May and Tony. So he gets up; it won’t be that bad. All he has to do is keep to himself and not get in Valerie’s way.

Peter holds onto the strap of his backpack, ignoring his pounding heart as the elevator ascends. He’s stayed the weekend with Tony before, this shouldn’t be a big deal, he tells himself. Valerie being here won’t make that much of a difference.

But he knows better. 

Peter reflexively rubs his arm where Valerie had dug her nails into his arm. He wants to tell Tony. He wants to have someone tell him that it’s going to be okay. But Valerie will hurt Tony. Besides, Peter shakes his head, Tony’s happy. He always smiles more when he talks about Valerie and last night they seemed great together. He shouldn’t get in the way of them and ruin their relationship. 

* * *

  
The elevator dings as it slows to a stop, letting Peter out on the top floor. He walks cautiously down the hallway to his bedroom, not wanting to risk an encounter with Valerie. He thankfully makes it to his bedroom without seeing her and tosses his backpack onto his bed. He has enough clothes here to last him a lifetime so his backpack is mostly filled with his homework and his Spiderman suit.

“You’re here again?” A voice bites. Peter whirls around to see Valerie watching him from the doorway, her eyes narrowed at him. “Why are you always here?”

“My-my aunt and Tony have an arrangement that if she has to work a lot on the weekends then I come and stay here,” Peter tells her meekly, taking a step back. “Where’s Tony?” He asks. 

“He’s in the shower,” Valerie gestures down the hallway, stepping into Peter’s room. “I thought I’d come in here and chat with you.” 

Peter gulps, “I was just getting settled-”

“Tony regrets you being his intern,” Valerie cuts him off. 

Peter shakes his head, standing straighter, “That’s not true.”

Valerie lifts an eyebrow at him, “Isn’t it? He told me himself last night. ‘Peter just gets in my way in the lab and he always asks those infuriating questions.’” Valerie sighs, “And you know me, I jumped to defend you.” Peter highly doubts that. “But Tony wouldn’t have it. He just went on and on about how useless you are and how stupid you are.” Peter wraps his arms around his stomach as if to protect himself, stepping back again and Valerie walks towards him. 

Tony wouldn’t say those things about him. Would he?

Valerie steps up into his personal space, leaning down over him, “Stay out of my way. You remember our conversation last night?” Peter nods quickly. Valerie pats his head, ignoring Peter’s flinch, “Good boy.” 

With that Valerie turns heel and walks briskly out of Peter’s room, leaving Peter shaking. Tony couldn’t have said those things about him. There’s no way. Tony cares about him like a son, he said so. But he does talk a lot, Peter thinks. And whenever they’re in the lab he always asks a million questions. But he thought Tony liked teaching him and answering his questions. Maybe he doesn’t...maybe Tony never did.

“Peter?” FRIDAY asks, “Boss is waiting for you in the living room.” 

Peter takes a deep breath, settling his shaking hands against his legs, “Okay.” 

In the living room Tony, hair still wet, leaning against the couch waiting for him. Thankfully Valerie is nowhere in sight. Tony grins when Peter walks in, “You ready to work?” 

“Yeah,” Peter nods, smiling despite himself. 

Tony swings his arm around Peter’s shoulders and walks the two of them to the elevator. “What do you want to do this weekend?” Tony asks. 

Peter shrugs, “I have a lot of homework, it might take me a while.” It’s not a lie, he does have homework, but it won’t even take him two hours to complete. It’ll keep him in his room for a while. But upon seeing the dejected look on Tony’s face, Peter adds, “But, uh, right now I was hoping to work on the new web strength we were testing last week.”

Tony smiles, “I think we can do that, kid.” 

As they start working, Peter makes sure to keep his mouth closed. He doesn’t talk about his day, about school, or about Spiderman. He doesn’t ask Tony questions, even though he is dying too. How does that work? Why did you use that formula? Could you walk me through that step again? Tony already thinks he’s stupid, he doesn’t need to give him more reason to. 

Tony turns to Peter, a slight frown creasing his eyebrows, “What’s wrong, kid?” 

Peter looks up, “I-uh, what? Nothing’s wrong.”

Tony doesn’t believe him, “Is this about Valerie?” Peter doesn’t say anything, giving Tony his answer. “I didn’t tell her kid.” 

Peter looks up, “What?”

“I didn’t tell her that you’re Spiderman,” Tony says clearly. Peter wishes that’s what he was worried about. “I figured you would do that on your own time in the future.” 

Peter gulps, did he mean...? “The future?” 

Tony rubs the back of his neck, “Yeah, kid, I think that she’s the one. And I’m going to ask her to move in with me.” 

No. 

“Are-are you sure?” Peter asks. 

Tony nods, “Yeah. I can’t imagine myself with anyone but her. She’s...perfect.” 

Peter, thinking back to what Valerie said, has no choice but to nod, “Then I’m happy for you.”

Squeezing the boy’s shoulder, Tony smiles, “Thanks, kid. Now let’s get back to work.” Peter immediately ducks his head, looking at his notebook, ignoring the concerned looks Tony gives him.

While they’re working a few minutes later, the lab doors slide open and Valerie saunters in, her heels clicking on the concrete floor. Peter keeps his head down, not looking up at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as she leans down over Tony’s shoulder, her bright red lips whispering in his ear. 

“I have a surprise for you upstairs,” Valerie whispers seductively. Peter wishes his super-hearing was optional. “Why don’t you come and check it out?”

“Well I have been meaning to take a break,” Tony responds in the same tone. “How long will the surprise last?” 

“As long as you want.”

Peter can feel Tony turn to look at him and then back at Valerie, “I’m sure the kid won’t miss me for a little while.” Valerie’s hand curls into the front of Tony’s shirt and grabs him, pulling him out of the lab by the front of his shirt. Peter can hear them laughing as they walk briskly to the elevator. 

He has a rotten feeling in his stomach. Tony never gives up lab time with Peter for anything, not even for Iron Man. But he was so quick to give it up the second Valerie walked in. He hates her, but she’s right. Tony despises him; he thinks he’s stupid. Tony was probably relieved to finally get a break from him. 

Peter tries to get back into his work, but he just can’t get himself to focus on it. With a heavy feeling in his body, Peter takes the elevator back to the main floor. He walks quickly to his room, shutting the door quietly and asking FRIDAY to mute any external sound. He doesn’t want to hear Valerie and Tony doing...that.

With a sigh, he flips open his computer. He might as well get started on his English assignment. 

“Boss says that lunch is ready,” FRIDAY tells him an hour or so later. Peter thanks the AI and walks from his bedroom to the kitchen. What he sees makes him want to throw up. Valerie is wearing one of Tony’s t-shirts, showing off the purple hickeys on her neck. She gives him a wink when she sees him walk in. Tony is practically beaming as he pours himself a dark brown drink. 

When Peter met Tony, the man had been sober for almost ten years. Now here he is pouring himself a drink and Peter doesn’t know what to do. Tony is an adult, he can make his own choices without Peter’s approval. So he keeps his mouth shut, pretending it doesn’t sting when Tony downs the glass. 

Tony smiles at the boy, “Hey, kid! Ready for lunch?”

Peter plasters on a fake smile and nods, “Sure.” Once again, Tony pushes Peter to fill his plate first. Peter can’t ignore his increased heart rate as he picks up the spoon and dumps a small pile of mac and cheese onto his plate. He remembers Valerie’s jab at him. He does eat too much, so he only takes a normal portion. Peter knows if Valerie wasn’t here Tony would tell him to eat more to keep up with his metabolism. But as it stands Tony can’t call him out in front of Valerie. 

He keeps his head down during lunch, listening to Tony and Valerie talk about their plans for later in the week. “You okay?” Tony asks Peter, causing the boy to look up at his mentor. “You’re not eating much.”

Peter looks back down, “I’m not hungry.” He makes the mistake of making eye contact with Valerie who lifts her glass of wine to her lips, shifting her eyes to the door pointedly. Peter gets the message. “I, uh, can I please be excused?” 

Tony tips his head to the side and Peter can feel his gaze, “You don’t need to ask, Pete. You’re free to leave.” 

Peter nods quickly and stands, placing his untouched plate in the refrigerator for later, doubting he will ever eat it. He hurries to duck out of the room. As he is walking back to his room, he can’t help but overhear Valerie say, “Is he always like this?” 

Tony sighs, “Unfortunately. He’s rather moody.” 

Peter curls his arms around his stomach and closes his bedroom door. “FRIDAY, lock my door, protocol pill bug.”

“Are you sure, Peter?” FRIDAY almost sounds concerned. “That will block anyone of any security clearance to enter, including Boss.” 

“I’m sure,” Peter says. He doesn’t want Tony to come and check on him. If Tony comes in here and asks him what’s wrong, he’ll break down and tell Tony everything. Then Valerie will hurt him all because Peter couldn’t keep his mouth shut. What would Tony think of him then? That he’s just a stupid kid who can’t handle a few insults. No. He’s not weak. Despite what Tony thinks of him, Peter is strong. 

Or at least he hopes he is. 

Peter spends the rest of the night by himself in his room. He doesn’t leave when FRIDAY tells him it’s time for dinner or that Tony wants him to join movie night. He just curls up under his covers and wills himself to fall asleep. But he can’t. 

“FRIDAY, is anyone still up?” He asks around midnight. Not eating lunch or dinner, as it turns out, is not great for anyone with fast metabolism. So when he gets the okay from FRIDAY that Tony and Valerie are both asleep, he darts out of his room as fast as he can, grabs some snacks and hides back in his room, locking the door. 

Peter cries himself to sleep that night. He just wants Tony. The Tony he knew before Valerie came here, who would bring him a cup of tea, ask him what’s wrong, hold him as he sobs into his shoulder. But Valerie is right. Peter is no one to Tony, just a random kid from Queens who forced himself into the billionaire’s life and expects him to be a father. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos keep me writing :)
> 
> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> The next chapter is going to take longer to come out because I only have a few sentences and some bullet points written so please be patient with me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the amazing reception on this last chapter it means the world to me!
> 
> As you may have noticed, I added another chapter, turns out this chapter was wayyyy longer that I anticipated it turning out so... Happy reading!

Peter sits alone at the breakfast bar, picking at a plate of eggs and fruit. Tony and Valerie are still asleep, allowing him momentary peace. But he can still feel the thrum of anxiety in his veins, something he is not used to feeling at the Stark Tower. His hands tremor and his spider-sense won’t quiet down.

Today is going to be a long day.

“Morning, kid!” Tony greets, smiling. Peter can’t help but tense at his mentor’s voice, but he plasters on a fake smile and looks up at the man. He looks...really happy. 

“Hi,” Peter says quietly as Tony pours himself a cup of coffee.

Tony frowns, “Is everything okay, Pete?” 

Peter nods, forcing a small smile, “Everything is fine.” 

Tony sighs, “No, it’s not.” Tony walks closer to the boy, leaning on the counter beside him. “I know you, kid. I know you hardly ate anything yesterday and I know you never pass up movie night and you’ve been avoiding me. So what gives? Is it about Valerie?” Peter looks down and Tony sighs again, understanding his answer, “I know it’s probably weird seeing me with someone, but, kid, you have to get over it. I’m in love with her and she’s a part of my life now, a really big part.” 

And suddenly Peter is at a crossroads. He can tell Tony everything, Valerie isn’t here. But what if she finds out? What if Tony doesn’t believe him? No, Peter tells himself. He has to try, he cares about Tony, even if Tony doesn’t care about him. Peter owes the truth to him after everything he has done for him. He has to come clean about what Valerie has said to him. 

Taking a deep breath Peter says, “Tony, Valerie isn’t who you think, she-”

“Speak of the devil!” Tony exclaims, causing Peter to turn around and look over his shoulder. Sure enough, Valerie is standing in the doorway. She has a slight smile on her face, but her eyes are narrowed at Peter. “We were just talking about you, Val.” 

She laughs lightly and walks up to Tony. They kiss quickly and Valerie leans into his side, her hand resting on Tony’s shoulder “All good things I hope.” 

“Actually Peter was just saying something,” Tony looks at the kid encouragingly, not knowing what he is asking of him. 

“Yes, Peter, do tell,” Valerie says sweetly, but Peter can see her hand on Tony’s shoulder tighten slightly. _All I had to do was slit his wrists and he would bleed out in minutes._ Peter gulps, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. 

He shakes his head, “It-it’s nothing.” Valerie smiles. Tony frowns. “I have to go finish my homework.” Without waiting for a response, Peter ducks his head and walks quickly out of the kitchen.

“Something’s up with him,” he hears Tony tell Valerie once Peter is out of the room. “I should go talk to him, right?”

“He’s a teenager,” Valerie brushes off. “He’s probably just being dramatic, mood swings and all that. Give him a few hours, let him come to you.” 

Peter knows that Valerie knows he won’t do that. 

Tony sighs, “You’re right. You always are.” 

Peter closes his bedroom door, sliding down the frame and pressing a hand to his mouth. His chest aches as he silently sobs. Why is this happening to him? What did he do to deserve this? Why does every good thing in his life get ripped away from him? 

“Peter?” FRIDAY asks gently. “You seem to be in distress, would you like me to contact Boss?”

“No,” Peter whispers, struggling to talk over his tears. “Don’t do that, FRI, I’m okay. I just…” He exhales. “I just need a break.”

“Would you like to step outside?” FRIDAY offers kindly. “I can open your balcony doors for you. Some fresh air might help.” 

“Okay,” Peter says softly. He lifts himself off of the floor and walks to the balcony as the door slides open. The summer air hits him with a warm breeze as he steps outside. With a sigh he lays down on the concrete, looking up at the bright blue sky above him. He manages to tune out the bustle of the city below him and just focus on the sky. He doesn’t let any thoughts of Valerie or Tony cross his mind, he just lets himself float. 

He could be laying there for minutes or hours, he’s having a hard time keeping track these past few days. But sometime later his phone rings in his pocket. 

“May?” Peter asks, picking up quickly. 

“Hi, baby!” Peter relaxes instantly at the sound of her voice. “Marie is picking up my afternoon shift today so I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the home and we can order some takeout, maybe watch a movie or two? I know it’s been a while since we got to spend any weekends together.” 

“That sounds great,” Peter says truthfully. “I’ll be there soon, I’ll get Happy to drive me.” 

“I’ll see you in a bit! Bye, sweetie!” May clicks off the line and Peter leans back against the floor with a small smile. 

“Hey, Happy,” Peter greets, lifting the phone to his ear. “Would you be able to drive me home-”

“Did Tony not tell you?” Happy interrupts. “I’m not in New York right now. I left last night to go with Pepper to a meeting in DC.” 

“Oh,” Peter frowns. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. Have Tony drive you home,” Happy says. “I gotta go.” And he hangs up. 

Well shit. Peter groans. That means he has to leave his room and bother Tony while he’s probably spending time with Valerie. He doesn’t want to do that. But, he thinks, if Tony drives him home it will give him an opportunity to talk to him alone with no chance of Valerie interrupting. He would be able to tell Tony everything.

And hope the man doesn’t hate him for ruining his relationship. 

Peter stands and walks back inside, “FRI, where’s Tony?” 

“He is currently in the living room with Ms. Knowles,” FRIDAY responds promptly. 

“Do you think it would be okay if I went to talk to him?”

“Of course, they are simply talking.” 

“Okay,” Peter says to himself. “You can do this, you can do this.” He jerks the door open and walks down the hallway from his bedroom. 

“Tony?” Peter asks, awkwardly leaning into the living room. Tony turns over his shoulder to looks at Peter, his eyes lighting up.

“Hi, kid! Did ya finish your homework? Want to join us?” Tony welcomes him in.

Peter shakes his head quickly and walks a little further into the room. “Um, actually May just called me and one of her friends is covering her shift so she can come home early. Would it be okay if you could drive me home to spend the day with her?” 

“You’re ditching me again?” Tony asks in faux offense, but Peter knows the man well enough to know that some of it is genuine. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Peter says quickly. “It’s just that-that she never gets off early and we never spend Sundays together-”

“Relax, kid,” Tony stands, hands in his pockets. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Of course, I’ll drive you home.” 

“Tony?” Valerie asks, looking between Tony and Peter. “I was thinking that I could drive Peter home? I mean I should be heading home soon anyway and it’ll be on my way. Besides, it will give me some more time to get to know him.” Valerie winks at Peter who has to force himself to take even breaths. 

Tony checks his watch, “Could you, Val?” She nods. “Sorry, Pete, but I have a big project due in a few hours and I need to work on it.” 

“I understand,” Peter says quietly. 

“Go get your stuff,” Valerie tells him. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

Peter arrives in the garage, backpack slung over his shoulders, a few minutes later. He sees Valerie waiting in a pristine white car, out of place with Tony’s sleek black cars, tapping her nails against the steering wheel. She glares when he pops open the door, “Took you long enough. Now get in so we can get going.” 

Peter gulps as he ducks his head and slides into the car seat. His spider-sense goes crazy, pulsing at the back of his neck, screaming that he’s in danger. But he buckles his seatbelt and takes a deep breath as Valerie pulls out of the garage. 

They drive in silence for a few minutes before, “You’re not a bad person, Peter,” Valerie says. “But I can’t help but despise you.” Her voice is frighteningly even as if she was asking about the weather. “You see, you’re just so clueless. I mean it took me telling you to realize that Tony doesn’t care about you. And I bet you still don’t completely get it.” She laughs. “God, you’re so pathetic.” 

Peter gulps, “Would you really hurt Tony?” 

Valerie smirks, “It won’t come to that, will it? You’re going to be a good boy and keep your big mouth shut, right? I mean, you’ve already lost everyone in the world who cares about you. I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to bury a third father in the ground.” 

_How does she know about Ben?_ Peter distinctly remembers deciding not to tell her. That means… 

No. 

Tony wouldn’t betray his trust like that. Would he?

“You’re-you’re bluffing,” Peter stutters. 

“Am I?” Valerie lifts an eyebrow at Peter. “Would you be willing to risk his life?” Peter looks away. “That’s what I thought.” Another beat. “I don’t know why you care so much about Tony, he doesn’t give a shit about you.” Peter clenches his hands into fists. “He would not stop talking about how moody you are the other night and how annoying he finds you.” She sighs, “Gosh, now that you’ve finally come to your senses and realized what a burden you are to him, Tony and I will finally have something to talk about other than how weak and pathetic you are.” 

Peter doesn’t respond, he just looks out the window, praying for the car to go faster. 

But there is something he has been dying to know. “Do you even love him?” Peter asks as the car pulls up to his apartment. 

Valerie turns to him with a withering glare, “Of course I love him. That’s why I’m doing what’s best for him, getting rid of you.” Peter can’t stop the tears that have been building in his eyes since he got in the car from falling down his cheeks. “You’re weak, Peter Parker. I don’t know what Tony ever saw in you.” 

“I’m not-not weak,” Peter whispers under his breath, fighting to keep his tears back. 

“What was that?”

“I’m not weak!” Peter snaps, looking Valerie in the eye. “I am not weak.” 

Valerie backhands him sharply, her eyes glaring daggers into him. Peter cries out in pain, curling in on himself. He looks up at the woman with shocked eyes, she just smiles and gestures for him to leave, “You’re nothing but weak. Get out of my car.”

Peter scrambles out of the car quickly. This is wrong. Like a bell tolling noon, it echoes over and over in his head. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It echoes in time with his pounding feet on the stairs to his apartment. Wrong. He’s stronger than this. Wrong. He’s not weak. Wrong. Tony loves him. Wrong. 

When he reaches his apartment thankfully May is still at work, if only for a few more minutes, so he is free to lock himself in his bedroom and sobs. And that’s exactly what he does. Burying his face in his pillow, Peter lets out all the tears and screams and curses that he’s been carrying around since he met Valerie. Screams tear through his body like waves crashing against the rocks over and over again. 

He’s sick to his stomach with pain and hurt. He clutches his chest like he expects there to be a gaping wound. And there is. Nothing that can be fixed by a doctor or by bandages, but only by finally letting his emotions crawl their way out of him. 

“Peter?!” May calls, knocking on his door. “Peter?” The door creaks open and May stands in the doorway, still wearing her scrubs. “Oh baby.” She is by his side in an instant, crushing him into her arms. “What’s wrong, honey?” Peter just shakes his head. He can’t tell her, it’s too humiliating. Spiderman should take care of himself. He shouldn’t be bawling his eyes out into his aunt’s shoulder. He should be stronger than his. 

He is weak. 

May holds him tightly, rocking him back and forth, whispering soft words of comfort in his ear. He clings to her just as hard, sobbing into her shoulder, letting her protect him from the world. 

They stay, curled up on his small bed with May cradling him in her arms for hours. Peter apologizes for ruining their day again and again, but May just shushes him and tells him that he’s got nothing to be sorry for. 

“What happened, baby?” May asks when Peter’s tears finally subside. 

Peter shakes his head, “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” 

“In the morning?” May offers and Peter nods against her chest. “Okay, sweetie,” May rubs his back lightly and scratches his scalp, both tricks she used when he was younger to get him to fall asleep. But soon May falls asleep, working a double shift on next to know sleep will do that to you, Peter close behind her. But just as he is about to pass out, he sees Valerie’s face in his head and hears Tony laughing at him, calling him weak, a failure, a burden. 

Peter flings his eyes open, listening to May’s soft breaths. He lays there for a few more minutes, waiting for sleep to come. But it doesn’t. So he carefully extracts himself from May’s tight grasp and changes into his Spiderman suit. Yanking on the mask, he throws open the window. He’ll only be gone for a little bit, he promises himself, just to tire himself out. 

He leaps out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos keep me writing!
> 
> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's over! Thank you guys so much for all of your support on this fic!
> 
> HAPPY READING

It’s a warm night, not too much so that it’s overbearing, just enough that Peter doesn’t need the heater in his suit. 

“Good evening, Peter,” Karen greets kindly. “I missed you this weekend.” 

“I missed you too,” Peter replies, trying his best not to think about exactly _why_ he hadn’t patrolled over the weekend. Peter swings to a rooftop, perching on the edge of the roof. Below him cars blare their horns, pedestrians hunched in on themselves hurry home for the night, and sirens whoop from somewhere far away. Peter sighs, it’s already helping him take his mind off of things. 

“Are you alright?” Karen asks him gently. 

“I’m fine,” Peter shakes his head. “What do you have for me, Karen?” Peter asks, as he fiddles with the fingers of his suit. 

“Mugging two block away, one armed civilian,” Karen reports. “Marking your route now.” 

“Thanks, Kare!” Peter says as he jumps off the building, catching himself easily with a web. He shoots web after web, keeping his momentum steady. Yeah, this feels a lot better. No worries-

Well...a few worries. But Peter is able to push them to the back of his mind as he focuses on helping people. 

He finds the mugging easily. The mugger is holding a silver knife, pointing it at the man’s throat. The victim is trembling, reaching slowly for his wallet. 

He swings down into the alley, greeting, “Hey guys, kinda a weird place for a party!” 

As he walks closer, the mugger looks up at him, eyes going wide, “Shit, it’s the spider-freak.” The mugger quickly shoves his knife into his pocket and turns to try to run.

“That’s not very nice,” Peter chastises as he shoots a web, pinning the mugger to the wall. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?” He fires another web to cover the man’s mouth. “Karen, alert the police.” 

“Already done,” Karen responds. 

Peter turns to the victim who is putting his wallet back into his coat. “You alright?” Peter asks, quickly checking the man over, “Did he hurt you?”

He shakes his head, stunned, “Thank you, Spiderman. I-I’m proposing to my girlfriend tonight and I was afraid he would take the ring.” 

Peter smiles through the mask, “Well why don’t you head out then, I got this taken care of.” 

The man surges forward, quickly shaking Peter’s hand, “Thank you.” Peter smiles softly to himself before shooting a web to the top of the building and beginning his route to the next crime to stop. 

“Peter,” Karen interrupts after a moment or so. “May just texted you and she wants you to come home as soon as you can.” 

Peter sighs. He should have left her a note or something, knowing she was going to wake up. “Tell her I’m on my way.” 

He quickly changes course and, in a few minutes, arrives back at his apartment. The window is open, just like he left it, so he easily slides back in. May is no longer in his room and his bedroom door is shut he sighs, May’s going to want to talk about why he left and what’s going on and probably about partoling this late on a school night. He changes into a pair of soft pajamas before walking out of his room, he might as well be comfortable for this conversation. 

When he walks into the living room he expects to find May waiting for him, most likely with a snack or a warm drink and a stack of blankets (she knows how to get her nephew to open up to her). And for the most part it’s true, May is sitting on the couch, no longer wearing scrubs, with a cup of tea and soft blankets on the back of the couch. But May’s not alone. Sitting with her on the couch, hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea is Tony. 

Peter takes an involuntary step back at the sight of his...mentor, looking to his aunt with nervous eyes. “May, what is he doing here?”

“I called him, baby,” May tells him, setting her mug on the table and walking over to him. “I called him to see why you were so upset and he told me he has no idea, but that you had been acting weird all weekend so I asked him to come over.” May rubs his arms, “It’s going to be okay, I’ll just be in the kitchen.” She looks between the two of them, “I’ll give you guys some time to talk.”

Tony murmurs a soft thanks under his breath and takes a sip of his tea.

Peter looks at Tony with apprehensive eyes. Tony just frowns. “Why...why did you come here?” Peter asks nervously.

Tony’s brow furrows in confusion, “Because May called me. Because I want to know what’s going on with you.” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, like it makes sense. When, to Peter, it sounds like empty words. 

“Why?” Peter asks, wrapping his arms around himself. 

“Why?” Tony repeats, the crease between his eyebrows indicating his confusion.

“Why are you still pretending to care about me?” Peter snaps. He’s done with this, he’s done hiding his feelings and pretending he’s okay. He wants the truth now. And he wants to hear it from Tony. 

“Peter, I-” 

“You lied to me for almost two years. Did you ever care about me, Tony? Or did you hate me from the moment you saw me?” Peter’s voice is sharp and cold, but filled with so many bottled up emotions. 

“I don’t hate-” Tony puts his hands up as if to defend himself from a blow.

“Yes, you do.” Peter’s voice is hard, knowing he is speaking nothing but the truth. “Valerie told me everything, she told me all about how annyoing you find me, that you think I’m a burden, and that I’m stupid and that you regret bringing me into you’re life.”

Tony is frozen, staring at Peter. “ _Valerie_ told you that?” Peter nods. Tony leans, back, folding his hands together. “Kid, I get that you don’t like her, but you don’t need to make up ridiculous stories-”

“It's the truth!” Peter yells. “You just don’t want to believe her because she has you wrapped so tight around her finger. She’s not a good person, Tony! She hurt me! And even though you don’t care about me, for some godforsaken reason I still care about you and I don’t want her to hurt you too.” 

Something seems to change in Tony, his exasperation with Peter melts away into something deeper, more painful. “She-she hurt you?” Tony’s voice is soft now, holding back emotion. Peter nods. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me? If she really hurt you…” Tony shakes his head, looking down then back up at Peter. “When?” 

“When we had dinner together,” Peter wraps his arms around himself again. “She cut me with her nails and-and she told me that I needed to leave so that you two could have time alone together and then she told me she would kill you if I told anyone what was going on. And then earlier tonight, she hit me in the car and told me not to come back to the tower.” 

“ _Kid_ ,” Tony breathes, walking slowly over to stand before Peter. “I swear to you I had no idea. If I did I would have broken up with her immediately.” Tony gently touches Peter’s arms. Despite himself, Peter leans into the comfort.

“You-you would have?” He looks up.

Tony nods, looking Peter straight in the eyes, “Pete, you’re the most important thing in the world to me. More important than Valerie, than anyone I could ever be with. I’m so sorry I let her manipulate me like that and I swear to you that I will never let it happen again.” Tony rubs his thumb across Peter’s shoulder, “Can I give you a hug?”

Peter nods and he can’t stop himself from falling into Tony’s arms, burying his face against the familiar soft t-shirt. Tony holds him tight and when Peter starts to cry into his chest, Tony squeezes even tighter, pressing a kiss to the boy’s curls. This is all he wanted for days, just for Tony to hold him, tell him everything is going to be okay. He feels Tony rest his cheek against the top of his head and he knows the older man is crying too. 

“I-I’m sorry I’m so weak,” Peter whispers when he pulls out of the hug. 

“No, no, no, Peter,” Tony helps Peter sit down on the couch, taking his hands. Peter was right, he was crying. “You are not weak. You never have been. Did she tell you that?” Peter nods. “What other things did she tell you, bub?” 

Peter looks at his lap, playing with his thumb, “That you don’t care about me, and I’m stupid, and you hate me, and you think I’m annoying, and I’m a burden, and I’m useless, and-” Peter goes on and on, repeating the same things Valerie told him to Tony, watching the man’s face grow sadder and sadder. When Peter finally looks up at him, Tony pulls him into a crushing hug for a few seconds before holding the boy at arm’s length. 

“None of what she said is true,” Tony tells Peter, his voice full of conviction. “Not a single word. You’re not a burden to me, Petey, you never have been. I care about you way too much to think so,” Tony brushes a hand through Peter’s hair. “And you’re not stupid, a little dense sometimes maybe, but not stupid.” Peter chokes on a laugh. “Kid, you could be in MIT right now and fly through the course material.” Peter smiles at that. “I love you, Peter. More than anything and I will do whatever it takes for you to believe that again.” 

Peter slams into Tony with a hug, his eyes already full of tears, “Thank you,” he whispers. 

“Of course,” Tony replies, his voice just as soft.

Peter looks up when he feels the couch next to him dip, finding May sitting beside him, her eyes red. She heard everything. May doesn’t have to say anything, she simply kisses Peter’s forehead. It’s going to be okay. 

As May wraps Peter into a hug, Tony’s arms encircle them, squishing Peter between the two adults. He has never felt safer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH thank you so much for reading this, it has been so much fun to write! Comments and kudos make my day :)
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr: @romeoandjulietyouwish

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos make my day! 
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapters in the next week or two!
> 
> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish


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